Style: Revenge Motion Drama
Director: John Flynn
Starring: William Devane, Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Haynes, Dabney Coleman
Operating Time: 100 minutes
Synopsis: It is 1973, and U.S. Air Power Main Charles Rane (William Devane) and Grasp Sergeant Johnny Vohden (Tommy Lee Jones) return to San Antonio after struggling seven years of torture in a North Vietnamese jail. Charles’ feelings are numb as his spouse confesses she intends to marry one other man, and he rebuffs the infatuated advances of native waitress Linda Forchet (Linda Haynes). When violent criminals invade his house inflicting household losses and a everlasting harm, he decides to pursue his personal model of revenge, with assist from Linda and Johnny.
What Works Effectively: This Paul Schrader story hovers between exploitive B-movie vigilantism and a searing exploration of post-war psychological trauma. Primarily within the broken psychology of a tortured-then-released prisoner-of-war, the pacing is deliberate and the writing sharp, director John Flynn utilizing the few moments of uncompromising violence as exclamation marks. William Devane finds a profession spotlight in a job demanding devastating emotional expression via lengthy moments of grim silence assisted by ever-present aviator sun shades. He’s ably supported by Linda Haynes representing normalcy struggling to grasp a veteran’s mangled thoughts. Tommy Lee Jones’ position is small however essential, Johnny’s quick readiness to renew the warfare when requested a voluminous condemnation of failed integration.
What Does Not Work As Effectively: The unhealthy guys are poorly outlined and diminished to interchangeable burly males, robbing Charles’ quest of any worthy counterpoint. The main points of the seek for justice are misplaced in sweaty small city border canteens and a torrent of nicknames.
Key Quote:
Linda: Why do I at all times get caught with loopy males?
Charles: ‘Trigger that is the one type that is left.
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